Association of Cricket Officials Issue 27 | Page 22
Taufel Takes Up New Role
Simon Taufel has taken up a new role with Cricket
Australia (CA) as its Match Referees and Umpire
Selection Manager. The role will involve leading
the CA’s Match Referee Panel, managing match
referee and umpire appointments, and performing
match referee duties.
Furthermore, the role will be responsible for
ensuring CA’s ‘umpire assessment criteria and
processes are robust, consistent and fair’. This
reportedly comes after a recommendation from
CA that the current system wasn’t maximising the
opportunities for some to reach the top of the
umpiring pyramid.
History Repeats Itself
Most of you will remember the Ian Bell
run out incident in 2011 in which Bell
was run out whilst walking off for the
tea break, having mistakenly assumed
a ball had crossed the boundary rope
for four. In this instance, India, to
widespread praise, withdrew the
appeal during the interval as they
believed it contravened the Spirit of
Cricket. The man who removed the
bails in that particular incident was
Abhinav Mukund, and in a cruel twist
of fate, history repeated itself in a Ranji
Trophy match in India.
Mukund, playing for Tamil Nadu
against Railways, hit the ball to deep
square leg, reaching his century with
the second run. Whilst completing a
third run, Mukund believed he saw the
ball cross the boundary and began to
celebrate a game-changing ton with
his batting partner. The quick thinking
Railways wicketkeeper gathered the
ball and threw it to the bowler’s end
where a fielder removed the bails and
Mukund was run out. Unlike the
national team five years earlier,
Railways upheld the appeal and
Mukund was forced to walk. After the
game, he said: ‘[I feel] so sheepish
about the whole thing. I thought it
had gone for four. It was also the last
ball of the over and I was celebrating.
I realise it was my mistake, it wasn’t a
dead ball I guess. I could have reached
the other end comfortably. I was
batting well and it was an important
situation in the game.’
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